YHS Takes 1st Place in Design Competition

Grade 11 & 12’s at the Kwantlen Science Challenge

On November 24, a group of seven Grade 11 and 12 girls (Poljanka J., Kimmy S., Sierra M., Tiffany C., Ellen C., Jessica J., and Anna B.), went to Kwantlen Polytechnic University to participate in the annual Kwantlen Science Challenge.

First, the team competed in a science trivia challenge, and then participated in Biology, Chemistry and Physics labs – all of which were fun but challenging. The team received one of the top marks for both the chemistry and physics labs.

Setting up our unique design – cart with an extending arm

After a delicious lunch of French Fry Pizza, the team took on their final component of the competition, the design challenge where the goal was to shoot a metal ball from a cart rolling down a ramp at a target about a meter away. The team had invested many lunch hours and afternoons for the weeks leading up to the competition building the ramp shooter, and the team finally created a cart that was able to hit the target every time.

1st Place Award at the Kwantlen Science Challenge

The car was quite unique in the competition; the design included an extending arm that fires the ball directly on top of the target, while most other teams created a launching device that shot the ball as a projectile.

As the last group to test the ramp shooter at the competition, our team already knew that the closest group had come within 6 cm of the target (although most teams did not even come that close!). The YHS team ended up shooting the ball only 0.5 cm away from the target goal! After the exciting closing ceremonies, the team received a trophy for winning the design component of the competition, beating nearly 30 other high school teams from across British Columbia.